The UN Security Council held an emergency session regarding Haiti’s call for aid united nations

The UN Security Council is holding an emergency session on Monday afternoon to discuss HaitiA call for security assistance in the face of widespread gang violence, cholera outbreaks and escalating hunger.

The session will also discuss a US-Mexico draft resolution that would impose targeted sanctions on gang leaders like Jimmy Chérizier, a former cop known as “Barbecue,” who runs a gang alliance called the G9 and Family.

Scheduled session Haiti has been pushed back from Friday due to dire conditions, with Chérizier’s gang shutting down the port of Port-au-Prince, including the country’s main fuel terminal. The UN has warned that nearly 5 million Haitians are facing acute hunger, and 19,000 in catastrophic famine conditions.

The government of Haiti is on October 7th appealed for immediate deployment of “international specialized forces” to support Haitian police who are outnumbered and overwhelmed to allow the distribution of fuel, water and other basic needs.

The Security Council should consider options offered UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on how to respond, which includes a multinational task force of police advisors or a special force made up of special police units to carry out security operations in support of the Haitian police. Other options include increased UN support for Haitian police, bilateral police training programs and greater efforts to stem the flow of weapons to gangs.

Such interventions would not be under the UN flag, but the Security Council could vote to welcome foreign powers, thereby increasing its legitimacy. US State Department spokesman Vedant Patel said Friday that the Biden administration is reviewing the Haitian government’s appeal.

“These things take time, but we remain in close contact with our partners and allies in assessing next steps,” Patel said.

The US deployed a Coast Guard cutter to patrol the Haitian coast and along with Canada supplied Haitian police with equipment, including armored vehicles, on Sunday.